Fabrication of ultra-fine flexible Y2Si2O7 fibrous membranes for thermal insulation by electrospinning

Ceramic fibrous materials with good thermal insulation properties are in great demand for the thermal protection of vehicles and spacecraft. Here, ultra-fine flexible Y 2 Si 2 O 7 fibrous membranes with excellent thermal insulation performance are fabricated via electrospinning followed by high-temperature heat treatment. Benefiting from the ultra-fine fibrous structure, the Y 2 Si 2 O 7 fibrous membrane was lightweight (∼0.126 g/cm 3 ) and high porosity (97.11%). Meanwhile, the obtained fibrous membranes exhibited low thermal conductivity (∼0.067 W m −1  K −1 at 27 °C, ∼0.299 W m −1  K −1 at 1000 °C), high-temperature resistance (∼1300 °C), excellent flexibility, and good reflectance in the wavelength of 500–2500 nm (average 89.72%). This research demonstrates a novel fabrication process for preparing flexible Y 2 Si 2 O 7 fibrous membranes, but also the flexible Y 2 Si 2 O 7 fibrous membranes are promising thermal insulation materials at high temperature.